Disclaimer: I only own my OC's

A/N: Happy Diwali, from me and mine to you and yours! Hope you've all been enjoying my twists ;) this one was a bit of pain to write at first but once I got stuck in, I enjoyed it, especially my little twist at the end! If you have any questions or have any suggestions as to what could happen, I'm always happy to listen :) especially with any changes that my little twists could cause ;)

XXX

I was awoken with the news that Vicki Donovan had been declared missing. Again. Apparently someone had said something to Matt that gave him the idea that Vicki had gone missing. Which, I guess she had, as Damon had buried her body somewhere and she was never coming back.

I felt so bad for Matt. Despite everything, he loved his sister dearly. Even with the drugs and frequent binges and bad attitude, Matt adored Vicki and always did his best to look out for her. Her disappearance must be hard for him, especially since he had only just got her back again.

Sheriff Forbes wanted to speak to Elena and Jeremy, but as no one had seen me with Vicki that night, I wasn't needed. Which I counted my lucky stars for. Cos that way, it would be easier for me to hide my injured neck without drawing suspicion. Especially since we didn't know who knew about vampires. There was no way that Logan Fell was working alone, he wasn't clever enough for that, but his conspirators were yet to show their hand.

Since she was taking Elena and Jeremy, Jenna asked if I could go with them. I think she was feeling a bit jittery about letting any of us out of her sight. Even though there was no suspicion of foul play behind Vicki's most recent disappearing act, Jenna wanted to keep us close to her.

After being told the news by Ellie, including the excuse that she had agreed with Jeremy and Stefan, I got myself ready. I barricaded myself in the bathroom before looking in the mirror. I carefully pealed away the gauze that I had stuck on my neck last night. The skin around the bite was tender but looked a lot better than it did last night. I cleaned it again before jumping in the shower. I spent longer than I probably should have in there but the warm water felt so good! Legit just what I needed.

I applied a bit more antiseptic cream to my wound before taping on more gauze. I darted back to my bedroom before I could be seen by Jenna and get a 'what the hell happened to your neck' reaction. Thankfully it was fall and I pulled out one of my favourite turtleneck jumper dresses. It was a deep purple and went down to my knees. It was easily paired with a pair of leggings. I loved the simplicity of it and it kept me so warm.

After getting ready, I checked in on darling Jeremy. He was dressed in one of my favourite hoodies and a pair of tracksuit pants. And he looked so sad.

I sighed and walked over, taking a seat next to him on the bed.

"How you holding up?" I asked, brushing a lock of hair out of his face. His eyes were red. My poor baby brother. He had been crying already.

Did I do the right thing? In stopping Elena having him compelled? Now he had to live with that pain. And the memories of what happened to Vicki.

"Not great," Jer answered, his voice thick. Oh kiddo. I wrapped an arm around his shoulder and pulled him in close. Jeremy wrapped one around my waist and rested his head against my shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Jer," I sighed, giving him a squeeze. "I never wanted you to feel like this again."

"It's not your fault," oh Jer, you are so sweet.

"I was there when Vicki was turned. Did Stefan explain how a vampire is turned?" Jeremy nodded and I carried on. "I was there when Damon gave her his blood and when he snapped her neck. I didn't do enough to stop him. If I had, then this would never have happened. And you wouldn't be suffering."

"What could you have done?" Jeremy sounded so despondent. And that killed me.

"Anything. Anything to save you from this pain," I sighed, refusing to let the tears fall that I could feel burning my eyes. "All I've ever wanted was for you to be happy. Which is why I never gave you a hard time about Vicki. But ever since May, you've been so sad. And now the girl you loved died because of me. Oh Jeremy, how could you ever forgive me?"

"Because you're my sister," Jeremy mumbled against my shoulder. "I don't want you to die. It hurts so bad that Vicki died but she was hurting you, Lexa."

I hated being so sad, especially in front of my baby brother. After everything he had been through, I just wanted him to be happy. And I didn't care what form that happiness took, even if it was him getting stoned every night.

"You're too kind, kiddo," I pressed a kiss to the top of his head. "Do you understand everything that Stefan and Elena explained to you?"

Jeremy shrugged, a small frown forming on his face, "I think so?"

"If you have any question, I'll help if I can, if you don't feel comfortable speaking to Stefan after what happened. I think the main thing is just keeping the secret."

"Stefan mentioned that but didn't really go into detail. Why is that so important?"

I sighed and adjusted my brother against my shoulder, like I used to do before he grew so big and tall, "Because there are people in town who would kill all the vampires they can find. Stefan was attacked with wooden bullets by Logan Fell and we don't know who he was working with. And as tempting as it might sound to get revenge on Stefan for killing Vicki, the potential retaliation is too much of a risk. Damon would kill for his brother, even if he tries to deny it."

I sighed again as I realised the situation we were in. All because Stefan wanted to boink my sister.

"Are you going to tell Jenna?" Jeremy asked quietly and I bit my lip.

That was a good question. It was dangerous for Jenna not to know, but I wanted to preserve her innocence. I couldn't do that for my baby brother but I could for my beloved aunt.

"I don't know," I eventually answered. "I think we need to sit down with Elena and decide what would be best. Keeping Jenna safe is a priority and if that means we tell her? Well, I'll do it myself if I have to." I gave my brother a nudge. "Right now, your priority should be moving on. I know it'll be hard but start with something small, like schoolwork. Getting your grades back on track should be enough of a distraction that your pain over Vicki slowly starts to fade."

Jeremy had a challenging look on his face, "What if I just wanted to get high?"

I gave him an unimpressed look, "Then you let me know beforehand so I can cover for you. But you can get high and do your schoolwork. Even if you need help, I know people who can tutor you. I mean, I would offer to help myself but my talents lie outside the realm of math and history."

Jeremy laughed at that, but I could see that he was grateful. I think he was worried that I would become more Elena like and make him feel things properly. But not only would that be hypocritical of me, hello booze-head, it wasn't healthy. Jeremy needed an outlet for those more painful emotions, even if that was getting high. But as long as he backed that up with other things, such as improving his grades, it didn't matter. The main thing was that my kid brother started to heal from the pain.

XXX

Jenna drove us to the police station. As Elena and Jeremy were underage, she insisted on waiting with them. It was only because she knew and trusted Sheriff Forbes that she didn't insist on going into the interview with them.

So while my siblings waited for their turn to speak to the Sheriff, I sat by Jenna, reading one of the pamphlets that were in the waiting room. It was those 'don't do drugs', 'cyber safety', 'identify theft' and stuff like that. I had picked the 'cyber safety' one, deciding to be ahead of the curve when it came to this sort of stuff. With shit like Twitter and Facebook, it was important to stay safe. And besides, I had to show a good example to my kid brother.

"I'm surprised Sheriff Forbes didn't ask to speak to you," Jenna remarked as she dug through her giant purse, looking for a stick of gum.

I shrugged, kicking the leg of chair, "I was already at the party when Jeremy and Vicki planned their sneaky little meetup. And when they apparently arrived, I was already drinking the night away with Jazz."

"The Lockwood Special?" my aunt asked shrewdly, giving me a look.

"The Lockwood Special," I confirmed, grimacing. Even though the adrenaline had wiped out most of my buzz, the Lockwood Special was strong enough that I still had a small hangover.

"I remember those days," Jenna smiled and shook her head. "Does Tyler make them as strong as Mason did?"

"I expect so, Mason made sure to teach Tyler everything he knew about the concoction."

"Then your head must be a fun place right now," Jenna smirked wickedly as she gently tapped the side of my head.

I grumbled and pushed her hand away, "You are a cruel, cruel person, Aunt Jenna."

"Its character building," Jenna brushed off as she glanced up. It was Elena's turn to speak to Sheriff Forbes. "You want me to come in there with you?"

"I'll be fine," Ellie smiled wanly, tugging gently on her messy ponytail. Jenna watched as Elena closed the door to the Sheriff's office behind her before turning to look at met, a concerned frown on her beautiful face.

"Is everything okay with her?"

I glanced at the closed door and considered my answer. It was hard since I couldn't tell the whole truth. The whole vampire thing was weighing heavily on my sister's shoulders and Vicki dying last night didn't help anything. But I couldn't explain any of that to Jenna. Luckily, there was one part of the story that was safe enough to spill…

"Her and Stefan are still having issues," I revealed, glancing around. "He's still quite mysterious about stuff and you know how much that bugs Elena." I shrugged and sighed. "And my idiot sister is still thinking that she doesn't deserve to be happy after what happened even though she is obviously pining after Stefan."

"Wow," Jenna said, looking slightly shocked. "So it's going well."

I snorted, "Pretty much."

"What about you? Any dirty little relationship secrets you want to share with your favourite aunt?"

"Eh, still painfully single. But Luke hasn't had a girlfriend in a few weeks, so that's a positive?"

As much as I hated discussing my crush on Luke, I knew that Jenna would be discrete. And tell me when to stop pining over him and move on. She was good like that. While most of her relationships had been hot messes, she had learnt some valuable lessons from them. Which she imparted on her darling nieces and nephew for free.

"You need to look beyond Luke. You'll be an amazing catch for anyone lucky enough to get you. Is there no one else that has caught your attention?"

"Well," I looked around and leaned in close, lowering my voice. "Stefan's older brother, Damon, is an absolute dish. I actually swooned once because of him."

Jenna giggled, "Is he that good looking?"

"Oh hells yes. He is a legit wet dream. And he knows it which would normally put me off. But it just makes him more attractive for some crazy reason."

"Well, why don't you show that you are interested?"

"It has crossed my mind," I sighed, shaking my head. "First I'll need to make sure that it's okay with Caroline, as they had a brief thing. Besides, he is way out of my league."

Jenna hummed, "Introduce me to him next time you can, and I'll let you know if you are out of his league."

"You're too sweet, auntie," I cooed, learning my head against her shoulder as Elena rejoined us. I watched as Jeremy took her place in the office, giving him a quick thumbs up as he closed the door.

"How'd it go?" Jenna asked my sister as she sat down on her other side.

"As well as you can expect," Ellie sighed, picking at a thread on her top. "They're really worried about her."

"I hope Matt's dealing with it all okay," I winced, feeling bad for poor Mattie. He was far too sweet and kind to be dealing with this. I made a mental note to drop by his with some baked goodies, maybe even some dishes I could stick in the freezer. The poor dear was all alone in that house now. And he was busy enough with football practice and games that he shouldn't have to worry about looking after himself.

We slipped into silence, waiting for Jeremy to finish. I was more worried about him than I was about Elena. She had had a few weeks to wrap her mind around the vampire thing, and she never particularly cared for Vicki. Oh she was cut up about her death. But Elena never approved of Vicki and Jeremy's relationship.

But my poor sweet Jeremy. In the past few hours, he had reunited with the girl he loved, found out that vampires were real and then watched the girl he loved attacked him, his sisters and then die. And now the poor dear was in with the Sheriff lying about it all. It made me so angry that he was having to go through all of this. He was a sweet kid, an innocent, he should be worrying about his next hit of weed or his history grade, not hiding the existence of vampires.

XXX

Stefan had waited for us outside the police station. Well, I say for us, he was waiting for my sister. I don't know what they talked about, but neither of them looked happy when they split. When Elena joined us in the car, I quickly wrapped her in a hug. This whole vampire thing was warping everything. Relationships were being destroyed; lives were lost. But she still cared for the younger Salvatore, even if she did try and deny it.

Jenna took us home and I was thankful that it was a weekend. The thought of going into school today made me want to cry. All I wanted to do was curl up in my bed and sleep the day, and night, away.

But unfortunately, I wasn't that lucky.

As soon as we arrived home, my sister slumped down on the sofa and tugged the blanket over her legs. I knew that look very well. When paired with the messy ponytail and the makeup-free face, I could only sigh and groan. My sister was wallowing. And wallowing big time.

Which meant that the wonderful sister Alexa had to intervene before it got any worse. Ugh, I'm such a sucker. And yes, that word has lost all seriousness since I found out vampires were real.

I gathered some biscuits from the kitchen and turned the coffee pot on. Jeremy was sat at the table behind me, his school books spread out in front of him. Aww he had listened to me. Deciding to treat him for making that step, I slipped him one of my chocolates from my secret stash. A little bit of sugar should help him after everything that happened. He flashed me a grateful smile before scoffing the chocolate.

After pouring the coffees, I balanced the two mugs and the packet of biscuits and made my way over to my wallowing sister.

"Alright," I sighed as I passed her one of the mugs. "Fess up, why are you wallowing?"

My sister gave me a look as I settled under the blanket next to her and opened the biscuits, "What makes you think that I am wallowing?"

I gave her a look in return, "Elena. It is the weekend. And you are sat on the sofa with your sad ponytail and staring at a TV which has not been switched on."

Ellie grumbled but accepted my point, even running a hand through her sad ponytail, "It's not sad."

"Oh it is so sad," I snorted, dunking a biscuit in my coffee. "And you know that it is uber sad."

"It's just that," Elena sighed and scoffed a biscuit. "Everyone dies around him. Stefan and Damon." I nodded, encouraging her to keep going. "Being with him means that I have to lie to everyone. And I can't do it anymore. It's just too hard."

Ellie rested her head against my shoulder and I sighed, "Well, Jeremy knows now. And we need to start thinking as to what we are going to do about Jenna. You don't need to lie to the people you love."

"But what if you get hurt again?" Ellie's voice was so sad that I pulled her closer.

My stomach turned in knots as I realised that I was one of the reasons why my sister doesn't want to continue her relationship with Stefan. I hated that I was part of the reason. I never wanted to get in the way of their relationship and yet I've managed to do so. My hand crept up to where my injury was. I was hyper aware of the gauze covering it and made sure that my jumper covered it at all times.

"Oh honey," I glanced at my sister as she nibbled on another biscuit. "That wasn't on you, like at all. I could have gotten hurt even if Stefan wasn't a vampire. And besides, Stefan saved me. That's got to count for something, right?"

"I guess," Elena looked pensive as she warmed her hands on the mug.

"Look, life sucks," I rolled my eyes as Ellie's small smile at the word. "If you do want to be with Stefan, then you'll need to accept all the bad stuff. Wouldn't you do the same if you were dating a cop or a secret agent?"

"But how do I do that?"

"Pretend he's James Bond?" I shrugged, hiding my cheeky smile behind my coffee mug. "Seriously though, you can start by allowing yourself to be happy. You don't need to be miserable all the time."

"I'm not miserable all the time," Ellie muttered petulantly and I rolled my eyes. "Okay, fine, I don't take the risks that I used too, but this is different."

"Love is hard and if you want it, you have to accept it, warts and all."

"That was oddly poetic, Lexa," my annoying twin laughed. "Have you been writing poetry again?"

I pointed my finger at her, "Look, that was for extra credit and you know it."

Elena was saved from a tickle attack by Jenna slumping down next to me. I uncurled my legs and let Jenna cover her legs with the blanket.

"You're wallowing," she accused, looking around me at my sister. I offered her the pack of biscuits and she took a couple. I dipped my biscuit in my coffee and glanced between my aunt and sister.

"So you are," Elena shot back and I had to consider that point.

Jenna had been down for the past few weeks. I had thought that it was just the stress of college getting to her but it was clearly something more. I had done what I could for my aunt, making sure she had plenty of leftovers for lunch and baked several goodies for when she stayed up late studying.

"My wallow is legitimate," Jenna sighed, pinching another biscuit. "I was dumped."

I had heard about that. I knew Jenna wasn't happy but it hadn't looked like it affected she. She was always so chilled about her relationship with Logan. And, to be honest, I didn't even know that it had reached relationship status. I thought Jenna was still keeping him on his toes before granting him a proper date.

"Logan is a dick," I muttered around a biscuit, getting prodded for my words.

"All I got was a brush off email saying 'I'm leaving town, see ya'," I passed Jenna the remaining biscuits as it felt like she needed them.

"He seriously signed it with 'see ya'? Yikes," my eyes widened slightly in surprise. Whoever covered up Logan's murder could have done a helluva lot better than that. I didn't know Logan that well before I knew that he wouldn't sign an email like that. Especially to Jenna. He had fought so hard to 'win' her back that he wouldn't screw up his chances like that.

"Wanna keep it down over there?" Jeremy called from behind us.

"Why?" Jenna turned around, resting her chin on the top of the sofa. "What are you doing?"

"Homework," Jeremy responded, already distracted by his essay.

"Since when do you do homework?" Elena frowned, also turning around. I figured I might as well join them and turned to face my brother.

"Look, I gotta finish this," Jer didn't even bother looking up from his work. "I'm way behind and I have a quiz tomorrow."

I smiled, proud of his new-found dedication to school work. It couldn't be easy for him since he was so far behind, but the fact that he was trying showed that he was trying to move on from what happened.

"What do you think? Alien?" Jenna asked on one side.

"Some sort of replicant," Elena countered from my other.

I just rolled my eyes and extracted myself from the blanket, seeking another caffeine hit. I grabbed Elena's empty mug and offered her a top-up. When Elena declined and Jenna said she would make her own, I shrugged and made my way over to the coffee pot. As I poured myself another mug, I glanced at my brother. I could see that he wasn't completely there yet. There was a tension in his shoulders and he looked tired. But he was trying and I loved him for that.

I sat at the table, opposite Jer, and offered him my assistance. Luckily, the kid was smart enough to turn me down. While I understood most of what I was taught, I wasn't very good at teaching others. Seeing Jeremy doing his homework made me realise that I should probably make a start on my own.

After grabbing my bag from the bottom of the stairs, I pulled out my books and got started. I had made sure to keep up since the school year started as I had a tendency to panic if I got behind. And then, because of that panic, I just gave up on catching up until someone sat me down and forced me.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my sister head towards the staircase. I sighed, knowing that she was heading to her bedroom to continue her wallowing. This problem was too big to deal with by myself, so I called in backup.

XXX

There was a knock on the door and I opened it to find an angel on my doorstep.

"Oh thank god!" I gushed, pulling Bonnie inside for a hug. "I'm so glad that you're here."

Bonnie laughed, "It's good to see you too. Now; you said it was an emergency?"

I nodded as I pulled Bonnie into the kitchen to explain the situation. I also plied her with biscuits and coffee, refusing to take no for an answer.

"So she's been wallowing all day. I thought I had managed to get through to her but then she disappeared upstairs and I haven't seen her since."

"Yikes," Bonnie grimaced, finishing her biscuit. "What is she wallowing over?"

I sighed and slumped down at the table, "It's over Stefan. They broke up and Ellie doesn't want to be broken up. But she's being all 'Elena' over it and refuses to admit that she actually wants to be with Stefan."

Bonnie's mouth formed an 'o' as she thought on what I had just said. It was a complicated situation and I needed one of our closest friends by my side to help sort it out.

"Alright," Bon eventually sighed, placing her coffee mug in the sink. "Let's get to it."

"You're the best," I ambushed Bon for one last hug before we entered the den of wallowing. Bonnie laughed and allowed me to hug tightly. I had missed Bonnie. She had spent a lot of time with her grams recently. And calls and texts are just not the same as speaking to her in person.

I slowly opened the door to my sister's room and peaked my head around. Elena was curled up under her blanket, a hoodie on and covering her head. Yikes, it had gotten worse.

"Thank god you're here," I whispered to Bonnie. "It's gotten even worse."

Bonnie glanced into the room and sighed. I think she had just realised just how bad it had gotten.

"Wait here," I whispered before opening the door wider. "Elena."

"What?" Ellie sighed, turning on her side to look at me.

I smiled softly, "I have a gift for you," and opened the door wider to reveal Bonnie at my side.

Elena had a soft look of surprise on her face as I revealed one of her closest friends.

"Are you getting up?" Bon asked, striding forward and getting down to business.

"No," Ellie muttered petulantly and pulled the covers over her head.

I rolled my eyes and grabbed the blanket, pulling it down. Bonnie helped when my sister put up a protest.

"Why haven't you called me back?" Bon asked when Elena gave up and allowed us to pull the blanket down to reveal her face.

"I'm sorry," Ellie sighed sadly as Bonnie sat next to her on the bed.

I let Bonnie take the lead and walked around the other side.

"Are you gonna stay in there forever?" Bon asked, eyebrow raised with a stern look on her face.

"Yeah," my twin mumbled challengingly, tightening her grip on the blanket.

I exchanged a look with Bonnie and ordered, "Budge up."

We climbed under the covers with Elena protectively sandwiched in the middle. She was on her side, facing Bon and I cuddled up behind her, stroking her hair from her face.

"I was officially worried, so I bought backup," I said softly, cuddling my sister closer as Bon took her hand.

"What's going on?" our friend asked, her beautiful eyes trained on my sisters' face.

"I'm tired of thinking… of talking," the weariness in my sister's voice made my heart hurt. She should never sound that weary. And I hated that she was in the position where she did.

"Thinking and talking about what?" Bon pressed gently, a worried look on her face.

"Stefan and I broke up," Elena sighed, revealing her heartbreak. "And I can't stop thinking about it and talking about it."

"I'm so sorry," Bonnie whispered, gently squeezing my sister's hand. "Are you okay?"

I couldn't see the expression on Elena's face but I'm guessing that she had given Bonnie one of her infamous looks.

"Right, okay, stupid question," Bonnie winced before sighing. "I know I've been kind of MIA when you have needed me the most. I suck."

I bit my lip to stop myself from ruining the moment and giggling. Seriously, that word had lost all meaning to me by this point.

"You wanna make it up to me?" Ellie offered, raising up on one below. "Get my mind off of it."

Bonnie paused in thought for a moment before smiling, "Just remember that you asked for it."

Uh-oh. Wonder what that meant? I was equal parts intrigued and worried by Bonnie's warning. Bon climbed out the bed and closed the open window while we sat up. The girl grabbed one of Elena's pillows and took a pair of scissors to it, pouring the feathers on the bed. I watched with wide eyes, wondering what our friend was up to. It certainly was weird behaviour.

Elena's protest was quickly shushed, "Be patient."

Ellie went quiet at her gently scolding and we watched as Bonnie sat down in front of us, a pile of feathers separating us. I was super curious as to what Bonnie's plan was. And the shy smile on her radiant face only added to that curiosity.

"I need to swear you both to secrecy," Bonnie said, a serious tone to her voice.

I immediately nodded my agreement while my sister sighed, "It's kind of a bad week for that kind of stuff."

"Swear, cos I am not supposed to be showing you this," Bonnie countered, although she did sound sympathetic to my sister's concerns.

Ellie glanced my way and I shrugged my shoulders. While the secrets were weighing on me as well, this was Bonnie. She wouldn't swear us to secrecy if it wasn't important. My response caused my twin to sigh and swear to keep Bon's secret.

Bonnie's pleased smile warmed my heart as she asked, "There's no open windows, right?"

Ellie glanced around the room before confirming with a "right."

"There's no fan. No air conditioning," Bonnie continued, fidgeting slightly in excitement.

Ellie shook her head, confirming that there was nothing like that on in the room.

"Okay," Bon breathed out, her face lighting up in excitement. "Grams just showed me this. Both of you are going to love it." Bonnie paused, building up the tension. "You ready?"

"Hells yeah!" I exclaimed, the excitement getting to me.

Bonnie just laughed at me and raised her hand. She had a look of intense concentration on her beautiful face as she slowly raised her palm. And a feather followed.

It just hung in the air, following the moment on Bonnie's hand. I was completely silent, my body frozen in awe. It was amazing. I had to remind myself to breathe as I was mesmerised by the display.

Bonnie slowly lowered her hand and the feather floated back down into the pile.

"Bonnie, what's going on?" Elena asked, her face bright with amazement.

Bonnie didn't answer. She just smiled and rubbed her hands together before lifting them both. As she moved her hands upwards, several feathers followed. It was even more spectacular. And the sweet, bashful smile on Bonnie's face made it even more amazing. The light shone through the feathers, making Bonnie look even more like an angel. And my heart swelled with love at the thought that Bonnie trusted us with this.

Bonne lowered her hands, the feathers slowly following. She smiled at us as the rest of the feathers floated up into the air. I glanced at my sister as she laughed softly. I was so happy that she had a smile back on her face. And I was so grateful to Bonnie for putting it there.

"Bonnie, this is amazing," I reached out to touch one of the feathers, utterly mesmerised.

"It's true," Bonnie had a soft smile on her face as she looked at us through the feathers. "Everything my grams told me. It's impossible but it's true. I'm a witch."

"I believe you," Elena smiled softly at her friend as the feathers slowly floated back down on the bed.

Bonnie grabbed her hands in hers and I couldn't help laughing.

"Bonnie, you really are an angel," I beamed, tugging on her hand in excitement. "What else can you do?"

Bonnie laughed, "I don't know yet, Alexa. Grams hasn't taught my anything else yet."

"Well, tell her to hurry up innit, I wanna see what else my amazingly talented friend is capable of."

Bonnie's eyes softened, "Thank you. I mean, it's weird, isn't it? After all this time joking about me being a psychic. And I'm really a witch." Bon paused, a worried look on her face. "You don't think I'm a freak, do you?"

"Bonnie," I gave her a look. "Why would we ever think that you are a freak?"

"Because of this," Bonnie gestured to the pile of feathers, including the occasional feather that floated up.

"Hon, you grew up with us and were my number one student in learning how to take shots without dribbling," I gave Bonnie's hand a squeeze. "If anyone is a freak in this room, it's the one who decided to wallow in a hoodie in her bed with the window open."

"Hey!" Elena pouted at me before deciding to ignore my dig. "Bonnie, we would never think that you are a freak. But there is something that I don't understand though." Ellie hesitated before sighing. "If your grams asked you to keep all of this a secret, why did you tell us?"

"Because you're two of my best friends," Bon gave us a shy smile. "I can't keep secrets from you."

I felt a weight in my stomach and had to stop myself from grimacing. Ellie and I were keeping a pretty big secret from her, one that could put her in danger. And yet here she was, showing us something special. That her grams had forbidden her from sharing. Lord knows what might happen to Bon if her secret gets out. Especially in a town that has vampire hunter conspirators.

I looked at the sweet smile on our friend's face and made a decision.

"Vampires are real."

XXX

All things considered, that didn't go so bad.

I mean, yeah, Elena wasn't very happy that I had revealed The Secret. And it did take a bit of time to make Bonnie realise that I was being legit, and not taking the piss. But I explained all I could with Elena filling in the gaps. We explained everything that had happened since Stefan Salvatore rocked into town. And Bonnie realised what her weird feeling about him had been; her inner witchyness had sensed his vampireness. In a way, I think it helped Bonnie to know. She no longer thought she was going crazy or being a bad friend for how she felt about him.

Of course, there wasn't much that we could say about the vampire-witch relationship as it wasn't something that had come up before. But we would learn. Now that our dear friend knew she was a witch, she was bound to get dragged into some kind of vampire drama. But I did make myself vow to keep her out of it as much as I could. It was bad enough that I couldn't protect my siblings from this shit, I didn't want anyone else I loved to get dragged into it.

Once I had walked Bonnie back to her car and made her swear to come to me if she had any questions, worries or just wanted to talk about it, I slumped back on my sister's bed.

Elena gave me one of her best unimpressed looks and I shrugged, "What? Come on, you feel a lot better now that she knows."

"But Alexa, it wasn't our secret to share," Elena protested as she started cleaning up the pile of feathers.

"I know," I sighed, I did feel bad about that. "But with Bonnie being a witch, she needed to know. For her own safety."

Ellie put up a bit more protest before nodding slowly, "It does feel better, not having to lie to her about this."

I had to hide the smug smile that I felt trying to form. I knew that she would feel better. Especially after Bonnie's little 'I can't keep secrets from you'. I know what my sister would have done. She would have felt incredibly guilty but wouldn't have spilled because she wanted to protect Bonnie. But sometimes, to protect someone, you have to tell them the truth about the dark side of the world. Bonnie would be a lot safer for it, especially since Damon seemed to have some kind of fixation on the necklace Caroline gave her. It was an ugly thing but it suited Bonnie in some kind of way.

There was still a pensive look on my sister's face that made me frown. Despite everything, she was still dwelling on the Stefan situation. And that annoyed me.

"Ellie," I whined and pouted, grabbing her arm and pulling her in for a hug. My sister resisted slightly before sighing and melting into my arms. I fell back onto the bed, pulling my sister with me, and curled myself around her. "I hate seeing you like this, boo. Is there anything that I can do?"

"Of course there is," Ellie sighed, digging her cold nose into my neck.

"You mean you're going to finally let me beat some sense into Stefan?" I gasped dramatically, enjoying the small giggle from my sister.

"No, Alexa," Ellie laughed lightly. "All I need is for you to be there for me."

"Pfft," I dug my fingers into her side, enjoying her laugh. "I'll always be there for you, even when you don't want me to."

"No getting rid of you then," Elena managed to escape my grasp, her cheeks flushed from laughter.

I fixed her with a serious look, "Girl, you're stuck with me forever."

XXX

Somehow, my sister had persuaded me to accompany her to see Stefan. I don't know why she wanted to go. Elena had mumbled something about needing answers and regretting it if she didn't do it. But I didn't argue against her going. One thing I knew about my sister, if you told her she shouldn't, then she would do it even more. It would be easier for me to accompany and then deal with the format. At least then I could solve the problem a lot quicker.

Elena had declined my offer to accompany her into to see Stefan. So I amused myself in the car.

I sent off a couple of texts to Jazz and Luke. It had been nice hanging out with Jazz yesterday. And didn't that feel so long ago! I had honestly missed her so much. After telling Bonnie, it made me wonder if I should tell Luke and Jazz. While it would keep them safe, it also meant that more people knew. And the more people who knew a secret, the more dangerous it was. I could justify telling Bonnie as she was directly involved in this shit by virtue of being a witch. But I couldn't justify putting the Salvatore brothers at risk by telling my Nolans.

I sent a quick text to Matt, asking if he had any preferences for freezer meals. The baked goods I would surprise him with. Especially the cinnamon swirls. They were a favourite of his. One that he didn't get often.

Darling Matt tried saying that he didn't need any meals for the freezer and not to trouble myself. But I soon overrode that argument. Matt had too much on his plate with school and football practice. The least I could do was make sure that he was eating properly and not surviving off of toast and noodles.

Elena arrived back at the car a lot quicker than I expected her to. And the look of shock and upset on her face had me worried.

"Hey," I said softly, grabbing her shaking hand as she tried to put the keys in the ignition. "What happened?"

"I met a girl there, she said she was a friend of Stefan's," Ellie looked at me with those big brown eyes that shone with unshed tears. "Alexa, she was in just a towel."

Ah. Shit. Not good.

I felt a rush of anger but tried to stay calm. As much as I wanted to beat some sense into Stefan, my sister was my priority. I don't know why Stefan would sleep with another girl since only yesterday he was trying to win my sister back. It was obvious that he cared for her deeply. Was it the sort of thing where he was trying to fight his feelings by sleeping around? I hoped not, since it was just as obvious that my sister cared for him in return.

I managed to calm my sister down enough that she was able to drive. Of course, I was still slightly nervous about her ability to drive. But Elena focussed on the road with a level of concentration that she only had when she was trying to run from something.

That's how I knew it was bad.

Once we got home, I bundled my sister onto the sofa and wrapped her in a couple of blankets. After telling her to stay with a stern look, I disappeared into the kitchen. Caroline had texted us about a party at the Grill but I ignored it. As much as I loved the idea of a party, my sister needed me more. And after the shock she just got, Elena needed some chill time, which meant no party for her either.

I made a couple of my special hot chocolates with a hit of warming whiskey. Elena would probably grumble but I knew that she would appreciate the little extra today. I debated grabbing some ice cream before shrugging. It had been in the freezer for a while, so it could soften up a bit before we ate it. I juggled the drinks and ice cream as I made my way back to the living room. Elena shot me a thankful look as I passed her the hot chocolate and deposited mine on the coffee table.

The next part of my plan involved picking a movie. Now, there was one lovie that never failed to cheer Elena up. And that movie was Grease. I mean, who could blame her? John Travolta as Danny Zuko? Olivia Newton-John as Sandy? It was iconic and heart-warming and filled with delicious guys.

I put the movie on before joining my sister under the blankets. She curled up close and rested her head against my shoulder.

Not to toot my own horn, but my special hot chocolate seemed to have helped my sister. She looked a lot calmer and was even smiling at the movie. And that was exactly what I wanted. I hated it when my sister wasn't alright. Especially when I couldn't do anything about it. While I couldn't beat up Stefan, I was able to do something simple like this.

XXX

The doorbell rang not long after we finished the movie. Elena was in the kitchen, putting the ice cream back in the freezer and washing out the mugs.

"I'll get it," I called over to her as I flung the blankets off my legs.

I trudged over and opened the door, finding a sheepish looking Stefan Salvatore on my doorstep. I frowned and leant against the doorframe.

"Stefan," I greeted him coolly before glancing over my shoulder. There was no sign of my sister which meant that I could exchanged words with Mr Salvatore.

"Alexa," Stefan replied, rubbing the back of his head. "Is Elena around?"

"That depends on how you answer my question," I narrowed my eyes and fought to keep calm. "Who was the girl in the towel?"

Stefan looked confused for a moment before recognition dawned upon his face. Closely followed by worry, "That was my friend, Lexi, she's my best friend and is 350 years old."

I read between the lines and nodded. She was a vampire like him and I believed him when he said that she was his best friend. That was a relief. It was just bad timing that Elena had met this Lexi girl while she was in nothing but a towel. And of course that would happen to my sister.

I smiled softly, "Thanks Stefan. You've saved me a lot of bother."

Stefan cocked his head to the side, "What do you mean?"

I allowed one of my truly wicked smirks to form, "Now I don't need to find a way to make you properly hurt." I knew Stefan well enough by this point to see that he was surprised. "Oh, and a piece of advice for the future; hurt my sister and I will make you hurt ten times worse."

I smiled brightly before calling for my sister, "Ellie, honey, it's for you."

The bright smile on my face looked like it was unsettling Stefan slightly as he looked unbelievably relieved when my sister appeared. Elena froze at the sight of Stefan and glanced over to me.

I gave her a nod of silent reassurance. There was no way I would have let Stefan anywhere near my sister if I wasn't satisfied. And my darling twin knew that. But that doesn't mean that I won't chaperone the conversation.

I retreated back to the stairs and sat down as the two conversed.

It was painful to hear. While Bonnie now knew the secret, my sister didn't want to load her with all of her vampire troubles. And that left Stefan as I couldn't help her in the way he could. Yeah, I could listen to her troubles but I couldn't give her any answers. But my idiot sister was too stubborn to tell me anyway. Ellie always wanted to protect me as much as she could.

I wasn't surprised when Elena declined the invitation to go the party. I knew my sister well enough that she was 'ahhh' and 'hmmm' over the invitation would at least half an hour before deciding. I watched as Elena closed the door and rested her head against it.

After a few seconds, I cleared my throat, "So, what time did you want to leave for the party?"

Elena turned around and gave me a look, "Alexa, I just told Stefan that I don't want to go."

"Yeah, but that's Stefan," I rolled my eyes and stood up. "You need to play hard to get just to make him realise what you need from him."

Elena put up a token protest at that which I waved off.

"Look, we both know that you're going to go to the party. So, let's save everyone time and go now," I decided to be generous and added, "We can wait a little bit of time if you want, to let Stefan get there and stop you from looking desperate."

Elena had her thinking face on and I gave her the chance to run it through her mind. My sister knew that I was making sense, she just had to accept it first. Eventually, she sighed and nodded, "Ok, you're right. Let me change my top and then we'll go."

I smiled and nodded, moving out of the way as my sister walked up the stairs. Now, that was nice and easy. It helped that my sister knew that I was right, even admitted it!

I slumped back down on the sofa while my sister was getting herself ready. The bite on my neck itched and I had to resist the urge to scratch it. It had been bothering me all day but the distraction that was my sister had kept my mind off of it. But in this quiet moment, it decided to make itself heard. I slipped my fingers under the woolly collar of the turtleneck and carefully prodded the gauze. Having it covered by my dress helped but it was still at the back of my mind.

Luckily, my sweet sister appearing at the bottom of the stairs distracted me from my bite wound. She looked resolute in her decision and gave me a firm nod, "You ready to go?"

I smiled, "Always."

Ellie rolled her eyes, knowing what I meant. As if I wouldn't be ready to go to a party. Silly sister. While my sister tucked her phone into her jeans, I grabbed my purse and shoved mine in there after sending Caroline a quick text. It would save me a headache later if she knew that I was at the party. Especially since it was one that she organised. Bringing Elena along would give me bonus brownie points.

XXX

The party was in full swing when we arrived. I gotta say, I was impressed. Caroline had put together a damn good party. The music was loud and people gathered in the middle, dancing and laughing. The drinks were flowing and a glance at the bar revealed that one of the easy bartenders was working today. His buddy was a bit stricter, but Adam was known for being lax with the IDs. Which made him a favourite of mine.

Through the crowd I caught glimpses of Bonnie and Caroline, Matt and Tyler. Stefan was over at the pool table with Lexi 'Towel Girl' Vampire. He was laughing, looking happy and I glanced at my sister. She had a determined look on her face as she stared at him. Well, hopefully they will clear the air now.

Elena accompanied me over to the bar. She wasn't impressed when I said that I would be hanging here to start off with. But my reasoning of being able to keep an eye on her won her over. It was reassuring for Elena, knowing that I had her back. Especially since the Grill was packed. It wasn't often that it got that busy in here and sometimes I forgot just how many people you could fit into the town's local.

When Elena disappeared with her cola, I gave the bartender my brightest smile, "Whiskey and cola please."

I was unlucky enough that it wasn't Adam serving me. It was Mr Grumpy. I didn't know his real name, just that he would take enormous pleasure in IDing people and denying them as many drinks as possible.

From the smirk on his face, I knew that he recognised me. Which was really not fair, even if I did have my fake ID with me, he would still reject it.

Mr Grumpy leaned against the bar, "ID please."

I opened my mouth to stutter out some kind of excuse, which would hopefully not turn into begging, when I was interrupted by a smooth, silky, irresistible voice.

"Give her any drink she wants," Damon stepped up beside me, keeping eye contact with the bartender. "For free."

Mr Grumpy nodded and got me my whiskey and cola. I took a small sip and glanced at the vampire beside me. Time really does heal all wounds as I no longer felt uneasy around him. Especially since he did something so sweet like providing me with as many free drinks as I wanted. Especially alcoholic ones. I mean, the booze at the Grill wasn't the best quality and I had to be careful to make sure that there were no responsible adults around. But it was no an easy stop for me if I wanted to indulge.

"Thank you," I said softly, glancing up at Damon through my lashes. He shot me one of his softer smirks before disappearing back through the crowd. I glanced around and saw my sister lurking by one of the tables near the pool table. She was being obvious in her pining. It was lucky that Stefan was so distracted by his best friend. I saw Damon walk over to her and turned back around. Logically I knew that Damon was only going to wind her up but I saw the way he looked at her sometimes. Like he couldn't believe that she was real. He felt something for her, even if he wouldn't admit it. And in a really stupid way, that kinda hurt. My crush on him was still going strong, even if I had started trying to fight it. I foolishly resurrected my old crush on Luke, looking through photos we had together. But he was another guy that I would never be lucky enough to get.

And wasn't that depressing as shit.

So I indulged.

I asked for a couple of tequila shots, still curious as to whether I would get it. The vampire compulsion thing was still quite new to me. And I wanted to test its limits.

I was pleasantly surprised when two shots of tequila were placed in front of me. Now that was easy. My mind buzzed with possibilities as I downed the first shot straight. While it was better with lime and salt, I was just incredibly lazy.

I savoured the taste of tequila on my tongue as I looked at the various bottles behind the bar. My whiskey and cola was still sat in front of me, condensation forming on the glass. I traced patterns in the condensation as I made up my mind. I knew that Elena was suitably distracted and Jenna wasn't here. There were enough people packed into the building that I could hide my drinking.

I downed the second shot and order two more of sambuca. While I waited, I kept myself occupied with the whiskey and cola. The caffeine in the cola reacted with the effect of the alcohol. And I cursed myself for mixing. I knew that I would regret it in the morning and it would make the hangover so much harder to hide from Jenna. And Elena. But my curiosity had gotten the better of me.

I scratched my neck as I glanced around the room. Elena was talking to that Lexi girl while Caroline was getting sloshed down the end of the bar. I had seen her earlier speaking to Damon. Well, it looked more like an argument than a conversation. But whatever it was, it had driven sweet Caroline to drink.

As soon as my sambuca arrived, I downed one while the bartender collected my empty tequila glasses. I could feel the booze going to my head and knew that I had made a mistake. There was no way I could get home in this state and Elena would kill me if she saw how drunk I was. So, like any sensible drunk person, I kept on drinking.

I finished my whiskey and cola before downing the second sambuca. I giggled to myself as I plopped the small glass inside the big one. Logically, I knew that I should stop. But I was so far gone that it made more sense to just carry on.

Which is what I did.

I lined up my shots of tequila, sambuca and vodka in a row, swapping the order several times. I just didn't know which one I wanted first. Eventually I just stuck to my original order and reached for the tequila.

Only for a pale hand to grab my wrist.

"How much have you had?"

I glanced up and smiled at Damon. The warmth of the room and the booze had flushed my cheeks and the collar of my dress was ruffled from where I kept scratching at my neck.

"Now, that, is the magic question," I beamed, poking Damon's firm chest before quickly downing a shot with my free hand.

Damon rolled his eyes but released my wrist, allowing me to down the other two before he could take them away from me.

"If you don't slow down, you'll turn into an alcoholic," the vampire said, leaning against the bar next to me.

I giggled, "Passed that milestone, a loooooong time ago."

"This guy bothering you?"

I glanced to my side to see a lovely looking blonde lady step up to my other side.

"He's trying to stop my drinking," I pouted as Damon continued his efforts to stop me from calling over the bartender.

The girl laughed and ordered a couple of shots, "If Damon thinks that you've had enough, then you definitely need to stop."

"Meanie," I crossed my arms and continued pouting. Who were they to deny me booze? Damon was the one who gave me the opportunity! Mean vampire.

The girl laughed, downing one of her shots, "I prefer Lexi."

I squinted, wobbling slightly on my seat, "Towel girl?"

Lexi sighed and shook her head, "That's going to stick, isn't it?"

"Suits you," I slurred as Damon steadied me.

"Thanks," Lexi's laugh was delightful and I loved the sound of it. "You must be Elena's sister."

"Twin," I nodded proudly as I snuck one of Lexi's spare shots.

"Your eyes are different," Lexi pondered before glancing at Damon. I nodded proudly, not realising that Lexi's attention was now on the vampire at my back. I loved my green eyes. I mean, they weren't as pretty as Elena's. But they were mine, my own little difference. Unique to me.

"What are you really doing in Mystic Falls?" Lexi asked Damon, placing a shot in front of him while dodging my hands seeking more.

"Have you tried the Brittle?" was Damon's sarcastic response, sliding the shot over to me. "It wins awards."

I hummed happily as I licked the tequila from my lips. It was safe to say that I was gone. The room span slightly and my head felt fuzzy.

"Cut the crap," Lexi snapped, shocking me. I looked up at her with wide eyes, having been jolted out of my happy booze place.

"Ok, I have a diabolical master plan," Damon helpfully answered as he moved to stand beside me, closer to Lexi.

"What is it?" Lexi rolled her eyes, glancing down at me.

"Well, if I told you, then it wouldn't be very diabolical, would it?" I mean, Damon did have a point there. Not that I verbally agreed. My tongue felt too fuzzy.

Damon glanced down at me one last time before retreating back into the crowd. Hmmm, that was weird. I scratched at my neck as Lexi and I watched him go. I stumbled to my feet and fell against the bar. Oh lord, why was the floor moving?

It was hot. Too hot. Don't like being too hot.

With the need for cool air fuelling me, I told my legs to behave and stumbled my way through the crowd. The side door was closer and I fixed my gaze upon it. Gotta keep moving. Need that cool air. One leg forward and then the next. You got this Alexa. Just keep moving.

I staggered through the door and nearly fell over. The cool air felt amazing against my heated skin and I sighed in relief. I didn't realise that I had been followed until a voice asked behind me, "You're not going to throw up, are you?"

I turned slowly and beamed lazily, "I feel too good to puke."

Lexi laughed and eased me over to the wall, clearly aware of how unsteady my legs were. I mean, why was the floor still moving. That's just not fair. And I was so itchy. And hot still. Why was I still hot?

I grumbled to myself as I dragged my dress over my head. Clothed in just my leggings and under-top, I felt so much better. Except for my neck. That still itched. And it was bugging me so much. Why was it so itchy? Like for reals. That shit not fair.

The gauze quickly came off and I scratched. It felt so gooooood. I didn't even realise the blood that covered my fingers. The scabs had come off and my neck was bleeding, staining my white top. But with the booze, I didn't feel the pain.

It wasn't until Lexi gasped that I realised. I glanced up and saw the veins under her eyes darken. Yikes, guess I took her by surprise. Lexi stalked towards me and I honestly didn't know if she wanted to eat me or help me with the blood. But either way, I was frozen in place. All of the booze had totally messed with the fight or flight response.

I vaguely heard a voice behind me yell my name before I stumbled back into the wall behind me. It was as though I was seeing everything through a TV screen. None of it felt real. The booze had made everything feel fuzzy and far away.

Someone wearing a leather jacket moved to the side and I saw Lexi, a piece of wood sticking out of her chest. She dropped to the ground and I did the same. The gravel bit at my knees through the thin fabric of the leggings. The cold air caused goosebumps to form on my bear arms and I became acutely aware of the blood still dripping from my neck.

Cool hands cupped my face and forced me to look up.

Damon stared down at me, that pensive look back on his face. Despite the alcohol warming my body, I shivered in the cold air. The odd tear trickled down my cheeks as I stared into the ice cold eyes of the vampire in front of me.

Sheriff Forbes broke our staring contest, "Is she okay?"

Damon broke eye contact and glanced up at the sheriff, "She's had a bit too much to drink but I don't think she'll remember what happened."

The vampire shrugged off his leather jacket and helped me into it. My gaze had wandered over to Lexi's body and I couldn't take my eyes off of it. So much death. So many people had died in such a short amount of time.

My buzz was officially gone, leaving me feel tired and heavy. Damon and the Sheriff talked above me but I didn't bother paying attention. I just wanted to cry and go to sleep. I didn't want to deal with this. With any of it. It was too much. This was the sixth body I had seen since school started. How many more would I see just because there were vampires in our lives?

They moved Lexi's body, placing it in the boot of one of the police cars. The cars left, sirens off, clearly not wanting to draw attention to themselves. I was left sitting on the floor, Damon's jacket wrapped around me and my dress on the floor in front of me. This was my fault. If I hadn't had scratched at my damn neck, they might not have killed Lexi.

I heard a sigh and Damon crouched down in front of me. He gently tilted my head to the side, examining my neck. It wasn't as bad as it was last night. Even with me scratching at it, it had healed well.

"Why did you do it?" I whispered, staring at the floor with blurry eyes. I couldn't stop shivering and my body felt so heavy. And numb. And tired.

"To get the town off of me and Stefan," Damon replied softly, zipping up his jacket.

I shook my head. Surely there was another way he could have done that? Did Lexi really need to die to do that?

"It's my fault," I glanced down at my shaking hands. "I shouldn't have scratched at my neck like that. I should have been thinking. And now she's dead."

Damon sighed and cupped my face, "I just got lucky with you bringing her out here. Either way, she was going to die tonight."

"I don't know if that makes me feel better," I admitted quietly, curling my fingers around the soft leather of the sleeve. The smell of leather hid the bitter tang of blood and death.

"Get up," Damon ordered, rising to his feet and holding out his hand.

"Can't," I shook my head. My legs were numb and cold. Even with the buzz from the alcohol gone, I didn't trust the strength in my legs.

I heard a faint growl before arms were sliding under my legs and around my waist. I numbly wrapped my arms around Damon's neck, burying my face in the crook of his neck. Despite every instinct screaming at me that this was a vampire and I was bleeding and he had just killed another vampire right in front of me, I felt safe.

Maybe it was the booze talking or maybe I was just incredibly stupid, but I relaxed in his hold and trusted him to get me home. The nauseating feeling of him using his vampire speed had me tightening my hold and a small part of me used the opportunity to enjoy the feel of his body so close to mine. But it was quickly buried underneath the numbness.

I heard the ring of a doorbell closely followed by a gasp.

"She's fine," Damon quickly said as he carefully let go of my legs. But he kept an arm around me until I steadied myself. Even when I was stable, I was reluctant to release my grasp.

"Alexa?"

It was only the sound of my twin's voice that had me releasing my grip. I stumbled forward into her arms and wrapped my own around them. I don't know what they said to each other. My only focus was on the warmth of my sister's body and the smell of her perfume. It was familiar. It was home. It was safety.

The door closed and Elena carefully helped me up the stairs and into her shared bathroom. My whole body felt numb and I knew that it wouldn't be long until I fell asleep. How long I stayed asleep was another matter entirely.

I sat quietly while Ellie cleaned up my neck, gently cleaning away the blood and placing a new gauze on my bite. She spoke while she worked. Just nonsense but it helped. I was able to focus on her sweet voice instead of my thoughts. Instead of the guilt.

My sister bundled me into her bed once I was changed. I think helping me helped her. Elena had mentioned that her and Stefan had watched. They saw Damon kill Lexi. And Stefan had to drag her away from me.

But I was home now.

I was safe.

And alive.

Even if I didn't deserve to be for causing another death.

XXX

A/N: Thank you for the reviews, my lovelies :) would love to read some more ;) they always help when I am dealing with a difficult chapter! Hope you enjoy reading xoxo